Street clothing entrepreneur Jonas Bevacqua, creative director and cofounder of the Lifted Research Group (LRG) label, was found dead yesterday in his Laguna Beach home.
Bevacqua, 34, and business partner Robert Wright started the Southern California-based LRG in 1999 with money raised from family friends. By 2006, it was No. 5 on Entrepreneur magazine’s list of the 500 fastest-growing companies and had $150 million in annual sales.
The hip-hop, surf-, and skate-culture influenced company, which sold everything from T-shirts to crystal-encrusted jeans, had also begun selling music and electronic devices. The brand has been credited with successfully crossing over into mainstream fashion without losing touch with its roots.
A message on the LRG website from cofounders Robert Wright and Charlie Moothart paid tribute to Bevacqua’s creative vision. “Yesterday, we lost an icon. Jonas Bevacqua was a true pioneer in the fashion industry.”
Fans on Twitter expressed sadness over Bevacqua’s death. @JustinDLive tweeted: “Founder of LRG Jonas Bevacqua: My deepest sympathies are with your Family & Friends in their time of need … may you Rest In Peace homie.”
In an interview with Hypebeast on May 6, Bevacqua said the key to LRG’s success was its constant reinvention:
It’s true what they say, “The only constant is change.” If you think you’re going [to] be the same exact person you are five years from now, you’re completely wrong. In my eyes, if you’re not growing or evolving, then you’re dying.
The cause of death remains unknown, but foul play is not suspected. An autopsy is scheduled with the Orange County Coroner for today.
As to whether the brand will continue, that’s always a question when someone so fundamentally affiliated with a product passes away. For now, if the message on the company’s site is any indication, the answer is yes. “Jonas lives on in every member of his LRG family…. Jonas was a mentor to an astonishing group of creative individuals at LRG who will carry his vision for many years to come.”
